“But, dear old friend,” said Sedgwick, “it will take a year, perhaps, to get a mill here from San Francisco.  To leave you here—­you would die of the horrors with no company but these Boers.”

“How d’ yer know but I’d make a pretty good Boer or Kaffir my own self with er little practice?” asked Jordan.  “We’ll stay over ter-morrer and git some work goin’; then I’ll go with yer ter the coast and get some men and things I need.  I’ll cum back; you’ll go ter Frisco, and everything’ll be lovely.”

“No,” said Sedgwick, “you go to San Francisco, and I will stay and work the mine.  It was I who proposed this thing; of right I should meet the heaviest sacrifices.”  But Jordan was obstinate, declaring that he would enjoy himself at the mine, and after a long discussion his programme was agreed to.  In the morning Jordan took the engineer and three natives to the top of the hill, where the mine was covered with debris; walked along to where the mountain, as it sloped to the west, was very abrupt, and there set the Boers to making an open surface cut.

They went to work, and Jordan and the engineer went to measuring to see where, down the hill, a tunnel would have to be started to tap the lode 500 feet deep.  It was so sharp a hillside that the tunnel site would be only 1,260 feet horizontally from a point 500 feet below the open cut.  Jordan engaged the engineer to remain with all the men who would stay, and begin that work if the indications on the hill would justify, and also to build a rude stone house at the spring, large enough to accommodate a dozen people.

Then they climbed the hill again and found the croppings of the ledge uncovered in the cut.  Being tested, these croppings were found richer than the ore on the dump lower down, where the vein had been opened.

Next morning, with two saddle animals, one pack animal and one Boer to ride another horse and lead the pack horse, the two Americans started back for Port Natal.  They followed over the route they had traced out two days before to the ranch, then took a road traveled by the stockmen, and on the second night from the mine came to a house on the main road to Port Natal, which was six or seven miles nearer their destination than the point where they had left the road and taken the trail for the mine.

They hired a Boer to go up and bring back their wagons.  They came next morning.  The best rig was selected, and the two friends started for the seashore.  In eight days they were back at Port Natal, having made the round trip in twenty-eight or twenty-nine days.  On arriving at the seashore they found that no steamer was in port bound North, but there was a fine steamer in the roadstead that was to sail next day for Melbourne, Australia.

Sedgwick’s plan had been to go back to London, take his wife and go thence, via New York, to San Francisco.  But no ship was awaiting him, and the agent of the Northern Line did not know when a ship would sail.  It would have to come first, and might return soon, or might lie in port fifteen or twenty days.  So, talking the matter over with Jordan, both concluded that the best thing was to try the voyage via Australia.  Again Sedgwick begged Jordan to go, yet he kindly, but firmly refused, saying, “I must hev my way this time, Jim.”